As Paulo Adario, our lead campaigner said "we always knew the Amazon was a risky campaign. To campaign in a wild-west frontier is totally different from campaigning in Sao Paulo or Canada. In those places our adversaries would never call for a pistolero to solve the ‘problem’. In the Amazon, impunity is law and the people we target don’t give a damn for international repercussions. The more we succeed, the more we face risks."

We’d received threats in the past but, in October 2001, we got a serious call. A woman said, "Greenpeace… tell the guy with the beard that he must die, and he will die."

The only guy with a beard was Paulo.

Among others, we heeded advice from a dependable "Deep Throat." He told us they had not yet contracted a gunman - they were still intimidating and had not made a final decision to kill Paulo. But he said these people "both bark and bite" and must be taken seriously. He also said he was fairly confident of the source: men in neighbouring Para State’s Mahogany Mafia who were also involved in the drug trade.

We had trouble, serious trouble.

We reported the threat to the police but they offered no help except to tell us to "be careful."

We took some immediate steps - relocating Paulo’s family to Rio, moving most of us into the office and tightening security overall. But this was no solution - we had to face these threats and escalate our work, not step down. If we didn’t, these people would win and the Amazon and everyone who depended on the magnificent jungle for their very survival would lose. For a while we felt so alone.

But we weren’t alone.

Just as all of us are working to free our Arctic 30 from Russian imprisonment, everyone leapt to action to help us be safe. It was more than a show of solidarity. It was an international family taking care of their own.

There were rallies, protests at Brazilian embassies, thousands of volunteers writing letters and collecting petition signatures, quiet political and diplomatic networking and an international media spotlight on the Mahogany Mafia.

And behind the scenes, our supporters kept us strong. Personally this was special for me - I was thousands of miles from my home in Canada, and my colleagues and supporters were my surrogate family.

It took us almost five months to regain control, to be confident that powerful and caring people got through to those behind the death threat - political repercussions would be substantial if anything happened to Paulo - and to get confirmation that they would heed the message.

We couldn’t have managed those long dark months without the support of our colleagues and thousands of supporters across the world.

And me, I was inspired to learn how to increase safety and security for our activists working in high-risk regions. Twelve years later I’m a Security Advisor for Greenpeace International. I get huge personal satisfaction helping our activists manage their safety and security so we can campaign bigger and better.

Lot of words about the amazon but not very much about the GP attack of private property in the arctic.

It looks like Anne Dingwall, the ...

Lot of words about the amazon but not very much about the GP attack of private property in the arctic.

It looks like Anne Dingwall, the Security Advisor for Greenpeace International was not at work when planning this media raid !!!?????

Or it's just another example of the naivity of these eco-dreamers.

"I get huge personal satisfaction helping our activists manage their safety and security so we can campaign bigger and better."........... what kind of satisfaction have you got about this stunt in Russia ????? I want see your next bigger and better campaigns in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Syria etc. p.p. ..........not only unrolling stupid yellow banners..........

I hope these eco-terrorists will enjoy your support as a surrogate family during next many years................

And as a follow-up on my comment to natacha,
here, from internet entity "Plamdimir Vutin", we have an example of an industry shill.
...

And as a follow-up on my comment to natacha,
here, from internet entity "Plamdimir Vutin", we have an example of an industry shill.

Dear "Plamdimir",
Your assertion about a "GP attack of private property in the arctic" has no merit in law.

Neither UNCLOS, which sets the laws of the seas :
http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf

nor the Federal Act on the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation :
http://www.un.org/depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/RUS_1998_Act_EZ.pdf

validated your statement of an "GP attack of private property".

In fact, Russia's raid of a foreign vessel in international waters, and subsequent detaining the vessel and throwing the crew in jail without bail, and without a trial, is getting dangerously close to the definition of "piracy" under UNCLOS.

Russia seems to believe that international waters are theirs to take, and if nobody complains, they will.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands is so far the only nation who stands up to this blatant violation of international law in international waters by the Federation or Russia.
http://www.itlos.org/index.php?id=264&L=0

Is this oil rigg these eco-terrorists tried to occupie not private property ??? Who then is owner of it ????

As all GP supporters you read laws and rules like you want and it is best for your case. But that does not mean that you are right !!!!

The will be a case in Court in Russia shortly and GP has possibilty to come with ALL their lawyers and ALL their EXPERTS, including Dr. Putin !!!! There will be a judgement in Court and this Judgement will be excecuted................

Russia is not even attending this itlos-session you are referring to. What according to your opinion as hobby lawyer might be the reason ???

Do you know how many UN-resolutions f. ex. Israel with support of the US is disregarding every single day ????

If you are so BIG supporter of GP you might attend the Court Session in Russia ??? We could meet there and I will give you a small present: A pacifier so you stop all your jammer..............

Maybe it should be a media stunt á la Greenfleece............ 1 pacifier in the color of the rainbow for each GP supporter..........

Pladimir said "Grounds ???? You see no grounds ??? "
No, and it seems that neither the Russians see any grounds. Why does it take 2 mo...

Pladimir said "Grounds ???? You see no grounds ??? "
No, and it seems that neither the Russians see any grounds. Why does it take 2 months to bring these people to a trial ?
What are they waiting for ?

I remember your invaluable support when we faced death threats in Bulgaria in 2005, fighting the Belene nuclear power project. That project was also p...

I remember your invaluable support when we faced death threats in Bulgaria in 2005, fighting the Belene nuclear power project. That project was also pushed forward - and even today, after having been buried officially earlier this year - the Kremlin backed former communists BSP and a short sighted nuclear lobby around them are trying to revive it. Belene was and is promoted by Gazprom's nuclear twin Rosatom. Same bullying, same lack of arguments, same drives - short term politics, megalomania, "commissions" or bribes, who knows who...

I salute all my friends in Russia who are trying to get that beautiful country - that massive potential for humanity - onto a track that makes sense, that cares for planet and people - against the trolling, astro-turfing and threatening that even is visible here.

I thank you, Anne, for the incredible support you give when it is really really needed.

It is terrible that there are always those companies that fall to such low levels just to make a profit. But it is so inspiring that there are always ...

It is terrible that there are always those companies that fall to such low levels just to make a profit. But it is so inspiring that there are always people who stand up against them. I don't know any of the Arctic 30 personally, but I still count them as my friends too as they are fighting for a better world for all of us.

If I remember correct you were happy to push out your expertise as long as everything looked fine to the majority of low-profiles.

Just to remind you, I did not agree with your points, actually I told you to read 'Der energEtische Imerpativ' by Solarpope and winner of the the livelyhood-award Herman Scherr who predicted precisely what is going to happen.

Could you please update your expertise and comment on events regarding Energiewende including Greenpeace successful efforts to defend transformation of a industrial nation into a sustainable and responsible energy-future?

Thank you, can't wait

Sun Wu, godfather of the Rainbow Warrior III and working on winning the interpretational sovereighnity at GPI.

Thanks so much for this Anne..., and for keeping our heroes safe. And yes, ...you are not alone. As the Rainbow Warrior was sailing up the Amazon no...

Thanks so much for this Anne..., and for keeping our heroes safe. And yes, ...you are not alone. As the Rainbow Warrior was sailing up the Amazon not long ago, four environmental activists were murdered there. But you know, they say every time a medicine man dies in the rainforest, it's like losing a library, ...25% of our medicines coming from an exploited and diminishing rain forest, and the knowledge and cures for cancer that goes with it.
Thank you too Jan, ...as you, I find the trolls disgusting, ...the money Gazprom has spent to keep our heroes in prison is appalling, and needs to be investigated and exposed.
...and SkepticOfSkeptics, ...thank you so much for your presence here. You are a light in the forest, ...perfect comments and spot on.
Free the Arctic 30 and expose this massive money driven smear campaign against Greenpeace

Pladimir, peace be with you.
Rather than spending time here smearing innocent people in jail, why don't you go and help out the workers at P...

Pladimir, peace be with you.
Rather than spending time here smearing innocent people in jail, why don't you go and help out the workers at Prirazlomnoye before they not just hurt themselves :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpUfVYjXOyw

And with their 30 year old de-commissioned North Sea rig with the original well-head still present and now mounted INSIDE the structure :
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/70320000/jpg/_70320422_ruswellhead464.jpg
and the rig equipped with 120,000 ton oil container capacity, are very much in danger of blowing themselves up, and cause an environmental catastrophe that will make the Bright Horizon's disaster look like a camp fire.

THAT is just ONE reason why Prirazlomnoye is a HUGE mistake, and Gazprom should NOT be there.

Pladimir said "If russian technology is so pre-historical as you tell,..."

No Pladimir, I did not say that at all. I said that ...

Pladimir said "If russian technology is so pre-historical as you tell,..."

No Pladimir, I did not say that at all. I said that the rig is a 30 year old de-commissioned North Sea rig (the Hutton TLP) mounted on top of a 120,000 ton old container, and the original well-head is still in place.

Now are you going to deny these facts too ?

Or do you have any rational argument on why such a rig-configuration is NOT a sitting time-bomb, with the potential of causing the largest ecological catastrophe the world has ever seen ?

I just saw some news via satelite on german TV.......... The US still is keeping 43.000 soldiers on german ground !!! Why ??? The real winners of WWI...

I just saw some news via satelite on german TV.......... The US still is keeping 43.000 soldiers on german ground !!! Why ??? The real winners of WWII, russians have left the country when Berlin Wall was taken down. For what the US needs this amount of troops in Germany ???

Court Session in Skt.Petersburg: First Eco-terrorist has to stay in jail until 24. of february !!! Good to know there still is some justice !!! :-) ...

Court Session in Skt.Petersburg: First Eco-terrorist has to stay in jail until 24. of february !!! Good to know there still is some justice !!! :-) But now we will be whitness of some more GP crying........... :-(